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Why Aren't My Breadcrumb NavXT Breadcrumbs Showing? A Troubleshooting Guide

32 threads Sep 9, 2025 Plugin → Breadcrumb navxt

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Breadcrumb NavXT is a powerful plugin, but a common point of confusion for new users is that simply activating it doesn't automatically make breadcrumbs appear on a site. This guide will walk you through the most common reasons why your breadcrumb trail might not be displaying and how to fix it.

The Most Common Cause: The Breadcrumbs Aren't Called

Unlike some plugins, Breadcrumb NavXT requires you to explicitly tell your theme where to display the breadcrumb trail. Simply activating the plugin only makes the functionality available. Based on numerous support threads, this is the number one reason users don't see their breadcrumbs.

You have three primary methods to display the breadcrumbs:

  1. Use the Widget: The easiest method for beginners is to use the built-in Breadcrumb NavXT widget. Navigate to Appearance > Widgets in your WordPress dashboard. Find the "Breadcrumb NavXT" widget and drag it into a widget area (like a sidebar or footer). Ensure the "Link the breadcrumbs" option is checked if you want them to be clickable.
  2. Use the Gutenberg Block: If you use the block editor, you can add the "Breadcrumb Trail" block directly to your pages, posts, or template.
  3. Edit Your Theme's Code (Advanced): For more control, you can insert the following code into your theme's template file (often header.php or single.php), placing it where you want the breadcrumbs to appear. 
    <div class="breadcrumbs" typeof="BreadcrumbList" vocab="https://schema.org/">
    <?php
    if(function_exists('bcn_display'))
    {
        bcn_display();
    }
    ?>
</div>
    Important: Be cautious when editing theme files. Use a child theme to prevent your changes from being overwritten during theme updates.

Other Potential Issues and Solutions

  • Theme or Page Builder Conflicts: Some themes or page builders (like Elementor using a "Canvas" template) may use a custom template that does not include the standard WordPress hooks. If you've added the code to your theme but breadcrumbs are missing on specific pages, check if that page is using a special template. You may need to add the calling code to that specific template file.
  • Caching Issues: If you change a setting (like the separator) and it doesn't update on the front end, clear your website's cache (both any caching plugins you use and your browser cache).
  • CSS Conflicts: In rare cases, your theme's CSS might be hiding the breadcrumbs due to a z-index issue or other styling conflicts. If you can see the breadcrumb HTML in the page source but cannot click the links or see the text, use your browser's inspector tool to check for CSS problems.
  • Missing Site Title: If the home breadcrumb appears blank, check your "Home Template" setting in the Breadcrumb NavXT settings. It uses %htitle% by default, which pulls your site title from Settings > General. If that field is empty, the breadcrumb will be too. You can replace %htitle% with a static word like "Home."

How to Check What's Wrong

A quick way to diagnose the issue is to view the page source of your website (right-click on the page and select "View Page Source"). Search for "breadcrumb" or "bcn_display".

  • If you find the <div class="breadcrumbs"...> HTML structure, then the code is being called and the problem is likely a CSS or styling issue.
  • If you cannot find any mention of breadcrumbs, then the bcn_display() function is not being called on that page at all, and you need to use one of the three methods listed above.

By following these steps, you should be able to diagnose and resolve most issues with Breadcrumb NavXT not displaying on your WordPress site.

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